A call center is a centralized office used for receiving or transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. An inbound call center is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers.
In virtual call center models, agents connect to the vendor's equipment through traditional telephone lines, or over voice over IP. Calls to and from prospects or contacts originate from or terminate at the vendor's data center, rather than at the call center operator's premises. The vendor's telephony equipment then connects the calls to the call center operator's agents.
Virtual call center technology allows people to work from home, instead of in a traditional, centralized, call center location, which increasingly allows people with physical or other disabilities that prevent them from leaving the house, to work. The only required equipment is Internet access and a workstation. Recently, many companies are preferring Virtual Call Center services due to cost advantage.